1969 Sandlapper 200

Auto race held at Columbia Speedway in 1969 February 2025 CUST Race 45 of 54 in the 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series season Sandlapper 200 Weather information for the 1969 Sandlapper 200 at The Old Farmers' Almanac 1969 09 18 1969 45 54 Sandlapper 200 Columbia Speedway, Columbia, South Carolina 0.500 0.804 200 100 160 Very hot with temperatures of 86 F C; wind speeds of 8.9 mph km/h 70.23 mph on 6,500 Bobby Isaac Nord Krauskopf Richard Petty Petty Enterprises 131 71 Bobby Isaac Nord Krauskopf untelevised none The 1969 Sandlapper 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 18, 1969, at Columbia Speedway in Columbia, South Carolina. The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s. Background Columbia Speedway was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971.Columbia Speedway page of Racing-Reference website , retrieved 8 May 2007. For most of its history, the racing surface was dirt. The races in April and August 1970 were two of the final three Grand National Series races ever held on a dirt track.Fielden, Greg, "NASCAR Cleans Up", Speedway Illustrated, September 2004. The track was paved before hosting its last two Grand National races in 1971. Race report Bobby Isaac defeated Richard Petty by half a lap in front of a live audience of 6,500 NASCAR followers.1969 Sandlapper 200 race information at Racing-Reference, retrieved 30 January 20121969 Sandlapper 200 race information at Race-Database.com1969 Sandlapper 200 race information at DatabaseRacing.com Notable crew chiefs that participated in the event were John Hill, Dick Hutcherson, Dale Inman and Harry Hyde.Crew chief information at Racing Reference The first-place position of the race changed hands three times and the race lasted one hour and twenty-five minutes.1969 Sandlapper 200 racing information at FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com Only two caution flags were waved for 15 laps. While Petty would qualify for the pole position with a top speed of 73.108 mph km/h in qualifying, the average speed of the race winner would be 70.23 mph km/h. The race was done on a dirt oval track and Isaac received $1,000 in prize winnings ($ when adjusted for inflation). There were 23 American-born drivers on the starting grid. Eldon Yarbrough, the brother of the late LeeRoy Yarbrough, would retire from NASCAR after this race with his only top ten finish in NASCAR history. Wayne Gillette would withdraw from the race for reasons unknown and would finish the race in last place. Johnny Halford would make his NASCAR debut here. Qualifying Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer Owner 1 43 Richard Petty '69 Ford Petty Enterprises 2 71 Bobby Isaac '69 Dodge Nord Krauskopf 3 4 John Sears '69 Ford L.G. DeWitt 4 47 Cecil Gordon '68 Ford Bill Seifert 5 0 Frank Warren '67 Chevrolet Don Tarr 6 17 David Pearson '69 Ford Holman-Moody Racing 7 45 Bill Seifert '68 Ford Bill Seifert 8 8 Ed Negre '67 Plymouth G.C. Spencer 9 48 James Hylton '69 Dodge James Hylton 10 10 Bill Champion '68 Ford Bill Champion 11 70 J.D. McDuffie '67 Buick J.D. McDuffie 12 25 Jabe Thomas '67 Plymouth Don Robertson 13 64 Elmo Langley '68 Ford Elmo Langley 14 09 E.J. Trivette '67 Chevrolet E.C. Reid 15 04 Ken Meisenhelder '67 Oldsmobile Ken Meisenhelder 16 76 Ben Arnold '68 Ford Don Culpepper 17 34 Wendell Scott '67 Ford Wendell Scott 18 19 Henley Gray '68 Ford Harry Melton 19 08 Wayne Gillette '69 Chevrolet E.C. Reid 20 06 Neil Castles '67 Plymouth Neil Castles Top 10 finishers Pos Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps completed Winnings Laps led Laps as the lead driver Time/Status 1 2 71 Bobby Isaac Dodge 200 $1,000 69 1:25:26 2 1 43 Richard Petty Ford 200 $600 131 +0.5 laps 3 9 48 James Hylton Dodge 196 $400 0 +4 laps 4 3 4 John Sears Ford 195 $350 0 +5 laps 5 23 56 Eldon Yarbrough Ford 194 $325 0 +6 laps 6 13 64 Elmo Langley Ford 190 $300 0 +10 laps 7 11 70 J.D. McDuffie Buick 189 $275 0 +11 laps 8 17 34 Wendell Scott Ford 187 $270 0 +13 laps 9 4 47 Cecil Gordon Ford 187 $265 0 +13 laps 10 7 45 Bill Seifert Ford 186 $260 0 +14 laps Timeline Section reference: Start of race: Richard Petty started the race with the pole position but was quickly overtaken by Bobby Isaac. Lap 3: Wayne Gillette quits the race for personal reasons. Lap 4: Richard Petty retook the lead from Bobby Isaac. Lap 13: Ed Negre's transmission developed problems, forcing him out of the race. Lap 34: Paul Dean Holt's engine stopped working properly, ending his race weekend prematurely. Lap 45: The axle on Neil Castles' vehicle became problematic, ending his day on the track. Lap 82: David Pearson had a terminal crash, forcing him to withdraw from the event. Lap 108: Frank Warren's vehicle developed suspension problems, causing him to exit the race. Lap 135: Bobby Isaac took over the lead from Richard Petty. Finish: Bobby Isaac was officially declared the winner of the event. References 1969 Talladega 500 1969 Old Dominion 500 NASCAR Grand National races 1969 Sandlapper 200 Sandlapper 200 Category:NASCAR races at Columbia Speedway